A Taste of Freedom
by KnightsofEclipse
Summary: Who's to say Isaac was the first time Cruella snuck out? Also, who's to say Ursula was Cruella's first female admirer?


**A Taste of Freedom**

 **Who's to say Isaac was the first time Cruella snuck out? Also, who's to say Ursula was Cruella's first female admirer?**

 **The internet reminded me that Cruella and Anita knew each other in high school. So I took that info and ran with it in the Once Upon a Time timeline. This probably took play a few years before Isaac showed up. I'm saying Cru is about 16 here.**

* * *

Cruella's fingers felt numb as she clung to the sill. The bricks were rough against her skin and she could feel them leaving little cuts with every adjustment she made. Climbing out the window hadn't been her brightest moment, but it was her one chance at freedom.

She had found a window that overlooked the wall that surrounded her mother's estate. Since the wall was so tall it would be less of a fall once she got to the outside. Now the problem was getting down.

She took a couple deep breathes and attempted to adjust her grip one more time. Her cold fingers released the bricks and she felt the air around her rushing upward. Things made sense again when she landed, relatively unharmed, on the wall.

That could have gone smoother. She hopped down from the wall, on the outer side, and brushed her hands down herself to assess any damage. Nothing hurt until she reached her knees. One of them, the left one, was torn up. She couldn't tell if it was from the repeated bashing against the side of the house or the landing atop the wall.

"What are you doing?" She turned and straightened quickly to see a girl her age looking at her with concern from the front gate.

Cruella hesitated. She didn't know this girl, or she couldn't think of who she was off the top of her head, and she didn't know if she was one of her mother's spies. "I'm going for a walk." She said, as matter-of-factly as she could manage.

The girl seemed satisfied with this statement, jogging over to stand next to Cruella. "I'll join you. I was looking for some company…" She trailed off, casting her gaze back up at the window Cruella had jumped from. She recomposed herself and extended a hand. "My name's Anita. A-and you're Cruella, right? We have literature together."

It took Cruella another moment, as she shook Anita's hand, to put it together. Anita Dearly; the girl who always invited her to eat lunch together. Cruella could feel her heart calm down. "Sorry, I do remember you." She offered a smile. "Um, you can lead the way. I don't really know my way about."

Anita smiled brightly, almost casting a glow to the moonless night, and took Cruella's hand to lead her down the street. Cruella hardly recognized her surroundings as she was led off through a park, down some side streets, and finally out onto a dock. Anita tucked her skirt under herself and sat with her feet dangling just above the water.

Cruella followed her example, cautiously trying to keep her lanky limbs dry. She let her hands sit in her lap, awkwardly. Anita had her face to the sky, appreciating the stars and clouds. Cruella had her gaze cast down at their reflections on the black water. She wondered what it would feel like to jump in.

Anita must have noticed her longing glances. "Do you want to go for a swim?" She tucked a strand of her short, sandy hair behind her ear. "No one comes here this time of night. No one will see us."

Cruella wrung her hands. "I don't know how." She cast her eyes up enough to look through her blonde hair and assess Anita's reaction.

"Oh." Anita grew thoughtful before settling back to how she had been before. After a few moments in silence, Anita reached out a stole Cruella's hand into her own lap. Cruella gawked, she couldn't help it. No one had ever been so forward with her, least of all a woman. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide. Anita looked over and broke into a joyous laughter. "Is something wrong?"

Cruella fumbled for a response. "Well, I, it's just that, you're so...Euh?" She made a sound to convey her confusion, which sent Anita into another round of her musical laugh. "What's so funny?"

Anita tucked her hair behind her ear again. "Nothing. I shouldn't be laughing. I've never met anyone like you, Ella. I'm sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. I can call you Ella, right?" She chuckled at herself. "Really, who names their daughter Cruella? Did you mom hate you or something?"

"I always thought so." Cruella shrugged. It wasn't exactly the topic she would have picked, but it was better than her inability to swim. "She keeps me locked in that room. I only come out for school. And if she could get a tutor then not even that!"

Anita's face was aghast. "That's horrible! Did you ever try talking to the police? I'm sure they can help." She was squeezing Cruella's hand earnestly.

Cruella shook her head. "It's her word against mine. I'm just a girl, who's going to believe me. I have no husband, no money. If my mother didn't keep me up, I'd be a street rat." Cruella spat bitterly. No matter what horrible thing her mother did, she was still the only thing standing between Cruella and the streets.

"You could run away." Anita offered. Cruella peeked over to see her companion looking at their entwined hands bashfully. "I…I could go with you." Her head shot up and her eyes blazed with passion and excitement. "We could go on an adventure! Never look back! What good is a husband anyway? We can make it on our own! We're strong women, we're not property that are parents can sign away to whomever they feel like!" She got up, yanking Cruella along with her. "Come on, Ella! Let's leave tonight!"

"Cru? You ok?" Cruella snapped back to the moment. She had Ursula were about to head off into the unknown after Maleficent's baby. "You seem a bit out of it. Do you need a minute?"

Cruella shook her head. "No. Just…just remember something from a long time ago. Mistakes." She walked over to the sea witch and pressed their foreheads together. "Did I tell you about the time I tried to run away from home with a girl I'd just met?"

Ursula raised an eyebrow. "So what was the mistake? That she wasn't me?" Ursula stole a quick kiss from Cruella before taking a step back.

Cruella rolled her eyes, their time together had made Cruella narcissism rub off on the goddess. "Actually it was that I never actually left. She wanted me to run away with her, but I was too afraid." She looked up at the darkening sky. "What I mean to say is: I'm not afraid this time."


End file.
